Automated racism?

When you first heard about Alabama legislators' proposal to use cameras to issue automatic tickets to red-light runners, perhaps you were concerned about privacy violations. Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, thinks you should worry more about racism.

Holmes said he is concerned that a disproportionate number of blacks receive seat-belt citations and that police ask motorists for their driver's licenses and insurance cards more often in black neighborhoods than in white ones. He made it clear to the Montgomery Advertiser that he wants the Legislative Black Caucus to join his fight against the bill: "We're not going to give law enforcement in the state of Alabama more tools to harass and intimidate black people. When they put it on the calendar, we're going to filibuster and we're going to lock down the Legislature."

If anything, it would seem automated cameras are more colorblind than living, breathing police officers, so I suspect Holmes may just be airing a generalized grievance here. Still, if he decides to press the issue, it'll be interesting to see just how much sway the Legislative Black Caucus still holds on Goat Hill.